Aftermath
by Mewsol
Summary: The only thing that is worse than war... is the separation that comes afterwards. GerIta, rated T for violence and mild swearing. Thank you Wurstislife for helping me write this. Enjoy, and please review!
1. Forced to surrender

_Rome. An international center in the Ancient days of the Great Roman Empire. It was filled with culture, wisdom, and religion. Even after the mighty empire passed on, it's city clung to life and the spirit of that mighty nation lives._

_But could the descendant of this nation survive just as well? The Allies were attacking, and the mighty bombers at Alfred's control were leaving many areas in flames._

* * *

><p>Feliciano Vargas was trying desperately to escape the bombing of his city. He was all alone, his brother Lovino escaped to Spain.<p>

"Waaahhhh! Someone... anyone! Help me!" Feliciano cried. The buildings were quickly crumbling around him, there was nowhere to hide. Feliciano was growing weaker every second.

Ludwig had heard about the bombing and made no haste to attempt to help him. When he got close to Rome however, the cities entrances were either guarded or blocked by a fallen building by an earlier bombing.  
>With his only "safe" option was to try and climb the rubble. He waited after another plane to fly over before attempting to climb the rubble. He didn't know why he had decided to leave his division to help Italy. He was never ordered, but something was pulling him to do so.<p>

Feliciano was running as fast as he could to escape the bombing. Suddenly, a building collapsed right in front of him, sending him flying. He collapsed in a heap on the ground.

Every time a building fell, it added more to Feliciano's pain. He felt his right arm throbbing. There was a large open sore on his arm.

More explosions... more buildings turned to rubble... Feliciano tried to get up, but he was too weak.

His chest was starting to open. He could barely breathe from all the dust. There were gashes all over his body. His uniform was stained red.

_Maybe someone will come save me, before it's too late,_ Feliciano thought. He tried to stay optimistic, but it was very difficult.

"Someone, help me!" Feliciano cried. Nearly all of his energy was thrown into that one cry for help. He collapsed on the ground, and waited for someone, anyone, to come and save him...

Ludwig had been trying to navigate around all the rubble as he saw another one of the buildings fall. As this happened, another plane flew overhead only this one had been Luftwaffe and it was followed by more in it's division. _I guess they finally realized the threat._ Ludwig thought to himself and continued searching for Feliciano.

A few moments later he made it around the building he watch fall and found Feliciano. Ludwig ran up to the nation and knelt down next to him. "Italy! Can you hear me?" Ludwig said as he looked around for enemies. He coughed a little from the dust surrounding them.

"Is that you, Ludwig...? Are you here to save me?" Feliciano asked Ludwig, weakly.

"Ja, it's me, Feliciano," he stroked Feliciano's head lightly.

"I can't last any longer, not like this... my arm hurts a lot and so does my chest, and my legs... I'm hurting all over. Can you get them to stop hurting me?"

Ludwig had noticed the amount of blood. "I will do my best.." he said as an Allied plane went down in the distance. Ludwig rummaged through his bag, trying to find something to help. He found some pain medicines to ease the pain while he moved Feliciano to a safer spot.  
>"Do you think you can swallow a couple pills?"<p>

"I-I think so... p-please hurry, I'm getting weaker every second-"

Suddenly, a large explosion shook the ground, and another building collapsed behind the two nations.

Feliciano's wounds started to open more.

Ludwig covered Feliciano with his body to protect the wounds from debry. Once the dust settled a little he gave Feliciano the medicine and some water to help it go down. Ludwig then carefully pulled Feliciano under the ledge of what was left of a building. Ludwig wasn't willing to admit it, but he wasn't sure as to what to do. He knew that all he could really try is to slow the bleeding, but as long as the bombs kept coming Feliciano would continue to weaken. Even so, he was willing to try. Ludwig pulled off his coat and then his shirt, tearing the shirt into long shreads to bind Feliciano's wounds.  
>The sound of Luftwaffe flying over sounded as they fought the Allies.<p>

"Ludwig... am I going to be okay...?" Feliciano asked.

He noticed the fabric binding his wounds had quickly absorbed the blood. But his wounds didn't stop bleeding.

"Can you get it to stop bleeding?" he asked. "It really hurts...wah-!" Feliciano cried as yet another building collapsed, and his chest opened a bit more.

"Schiesse..." he mumbled to himself as Feliciano's wound opened more.  
>Ludwig hesitated a moment in responding to the questions.<br>"...I can't tell you if you are going to be okay," he shook his head "Your wounds are being caused from the collapsing city. Unless you surrender, your wounds will continue to open."

"Veee~? Surrender~? I'm really good at that, Ludwig!" Feliciano managed a small smile.

"Am I still going to be able to see you again... w-w-wahh-!"

Feliciano couldn't handle the pain anymore. He began to cry out in pain.

"Waaaahhhh! Make it stop, Ludwig! Make it stop!"

Ludwig picked up Feliciano carefully. "You are going to have to surrender, Italy. I'm sorry, but when you do, you are going to be my enemy.. I won't be allowed to see you."

Arthur was walking through the rubble, looking for any survivors. "That bloody wanker sure did do a number on the town.." he said to himself.

"Waaahhh! I don't want to leave you! I don't want to be your enemy! Not when..."

Feliciano, even though he was severely injured, managed to lean in just enough to give Ludwig a tiny kiss on the cheek.

He looked down at his wounds, realizing surrendering was the only option.

"I have to surrender... but before I do, I want to tell you... I will always love you..."

Ludwig blushed a bit at Feliciano's final statement and the kiss. He hugged Italy lightly and leaned him up on a wall that was still up.  
>"I'm sorry, but I have to leave you then," he said as he laid the white flag Feliciano once made him against the wall. "Maybe we can visit each other after the war."<br>Ludwig put back on his coat and picked up his bag before running back to his division.

Arthur walked around a corner, coming into view.  
>"Where is that Italian?..."<p>

After the war... Feliciano thought. "Why... why can't it just end?"

He clutched the white flag tightly, then turned around and noticed Arthur, too afraid to say anything.

Arthur noticed the white flag and quickly walked over to Feliciano.  
>"Can't take any more I'm guessing?" Arthur poked the Italian with his rifle.<p>

"A-ahh! Please don't shoot me, I'm surrendering, see, white flag-! So just don't hurt me, okay..." Feliciano cried weakly.

"You wouldn't shoot this weak little Italian, would you...?"

Arthur sighed and slung the gun over his shoulder. "Don't worry, I was just ordered to recover you."

"Veee~ okay! I'm so happy you're not going to shoot me!" Feliciano smiled brightly, truly relieved.

He turned away for a moment, thinking about Ludwig. He promised he wouldn't leave him..._ b-but t-this promise has to be broken... I'll make a new promise, okay? I promise I'll come see you again. H-how's that? Is that a good promise?_ Feliciano knew Ludwig couldn't hear him, but it was nice to think he did.

"Yeah, yeah. Now come on," Arthur said as he picked Feliciano up and started carrying him towards his camp.

_"I hope they treat you alright, Italy..."_ Ludwig thought as he looked back from a distance.

A tear fell from Feliciano's eye onto the dusty earth.

He gave Ludwig one last glance before being carried off by Arthur.


	2. Prisoners of war

"Come on." Arthur said annoyed.

A few months passed and the war was still going on. Ludwig was hiding on the edge of Berlin. Ivan had made it through the final defense and was attacking the city now.  
>Ludwig clutched his side as a sharp pain caught his attention. As he clutched his side, smoke started appearing in the distance.<p>

"B-but I don't want to! I'm too scared! I can't do this!" Feliciano cried, curling up into a ball and rocking back and forth.

Sure, Feliciano was technically Ludwig's enemy now. But that didn't change the fact that he still loved him, deep inside.

"You are coming, or you won't get any pasta for a month!" Arthur snapped and yanked his ear.

"Waaaahhh! F-fine..." Feliciano didn't have a choice.

_Maybe I'll run away when Arthur isn't watching... and then I'll save Germany while I try to escape... I just don't want to hurt Germany! I can't hurt him..._ Feliciano thought nervously to himself. It was evident in his face that he was anxious about something.

Arthur opened the back of the truck they were riding in. "Let's go."

More buildings had fallen as Arthur and Feliciano arrived. Ludwig moved around in the suburbs, trying to find a safe place but he was growing weaker and weaker. His arms had blood running down them and his side hurt badly.

Feliciano reluctantly followed Arthur. _I should try and split up so I can get to Germany and help him!_ Feliciano thought.

"W-we can stay together for now but I think we should split up later... y-you know... so we can cover more ground..." he suggested.

"Fine, but if you do not return to camp by 20:00 you will not leave my sight ever again!" Arthur said. "We will split up once we reach the city. Why am I always stuck with recon'?"

Ludwig looked around from where he was hiding. He didn't know how much longer his body could cope with the pain and blood loss.  
>"I-I'm glad you surrendered when you did, Italy... Who knows what could have happened to you if you-" he winced as another building fell.<p>

"Okay, got it!" Feliciano responded. This was his chance... his chance to save Ludwig. He continued to follow Arthur until they reached the city.

_I'm coming for you, Ludwig... just... hold on...!_

"Uh... I'll take the west side... is that okay?" he asked.

"Fine. I'll take east then." Arthur walked off.

Another building had collapsed closer to the center of the city. Ludwig knew he had to try and hold out, at least until he had orders to surrender.  
>"Tch... How long must it take him to realize it's over..."<p>

Feliciano ran off west. He had a rifle with him, but he wasn't going to use it. He was completely focused on finding Ludwig and saving him.

_If I call out to Ludwig, Arthur won't hear me, right? He's on the east side, anyway,_ Feliciano thought. He determined it safe to call out to Ludwig.

"Ludwig! Where are you!"

Ludwig looked around a corner when he heard Feliciano called him.  
>"Italy?" he mumbled to himself. "Nein.. I must be losing it..." he shook his head a little and leaned against the wall. He was starting to have trouble standing, the wound in his side had caused him to lose a lot of blood.<p>

"Ludwig! Are you okay? Where are you?" Feliciano called out. A wall suddenly collapsed behind him, pushing him back a bit, but that didn't stop him from trying to find Ludwig.

"I...I'm here to save you!"

Ludwig heard Feliciano call again and walked around the building he was behind. It had lost all of it's roof and fell just as Ludwig walked away from it.  
>"You're here to save me? How can you say that when you are my enemy?" he said, half out of breath.<br>Ludwig's clothes were bloody and dusty and he was clutching his side with one hand and holding his pistol with the other if a threat came near him.

"I-I'm not supposed to be saving you... but I- I had to! W-war can't and never will change the fact that I love you..." Feliciano told Ludwig, hugging him tightly.

Ludwig blushed from Feliciano's words. He winced when he was hugged.

The Italian took several cloths out of his pockets and placed them on Ludwig's wounds.

"Fratello's going to be arriving soon... I hope he doesn't find us... And I had to split up from Arthur to be able to see you... but I just couldn't leave you alone like this...!" Feliciano burst into tears.

"I don't want you to be hurt if we are caught like this though..." he said softly. Ludwig coghed and dropped his pistol. "Verdammit... I don't think I can last any longer..." As he said this, a large crash came from the center of the city and his legs gave. He growled as he clutched his side.

"Waaaahhh! No! D-don't leave... me...!" Feliciano cried. He carefully picked up Ludwig in his arms, and held him close.

"J-just one last..." Feliciano gently pulled Ludwig closer, and kissed him on the lips, with tears streaming down his face.

Ludwig gently touched Feliciano's face and eased into the kiss, tasting the Italian's salty tears. "I-I'm sorry, Feliciano.." he said weakly, "I-Ich liebe dich.." Ludwig went limp in Feliciano's arms as he lost consciousness.

Arthur ran over to Feliciano, stopping a moment when he sees the Italian holding Ludwig. "I-I see you found him," he said out of breath. "His brother was captured by Russia and his boss is dead too." Arthur placed his hand on Feliciano's shoulder. "Come on, we're both going to be past curfew."

"B-b-but- I-I can't just leave him here-!" Feliciano cried. He held Ludwig's body even tighter.

"W-why! It wasn't supposed to end this way!_ Ludwig!"_ Feliciano kept crying, ignoring the fact that Arthur was right there.

Arthur sighed and watched Feliciano. "Alright.. We can bring him with us. If you're lucky he'll pull together," he said with a sigh.

"Grazie... I'm glad you understand..." Feliciano said, nodding.

_D-don't give up, Ludwig... don't forget our promise...!_

"Whatever. Let's go." Arthur was rather annoyed that he had to deal with Ludwig too, but he figured if he was able to pull himself together he may as well have him in his debt. He helped Feliciano load him onto a jeep to carry him back to camp. "I want you to be aware of this though, Italy. He is our POW, Prisoner of War, until the rest of the generals surrender. You shouldn't care so fondly of him unless you decide to be his nurse."

As Ludwig was laying in the back of the jeep, he looked up a moment before laying his head to the side, his hair falling over his face.

Feliciano said nothing, only looking down and hoping Ludwig would be okay.

_War is terrible! It's so scary! And war made me and Ludwig enemies. It's not fair! I've always been wishing this war would end, so I could be with Ludwig forever... but now it's never going to happen!_

_B-but... if it wasn't for the war... I would never have met Ludwig in the first place..._

It was obvious that Feliciano was thinking about something. He began to cry again.

Ludwig had become slightly conscious during the trip and lightly grabbed Feliciano's hand.

Ludwig didn't totally know what was going on around him, except for Feliciano crying. He seemed to be traveling backwards in his memories when he wasn't aware of what was happening.

Feliciano felt Ludwig grab his hand.

"L-Ludwig...? Y-you're okay...!" He managed a smile among the tears.

His tears changed to that of sheer happiness as he hugged Ludwig ever so tightly.

Ludwig was still too weak to stay awake long enough to reply, but was glad to still be alive.

Ludwig fell unconscious again. This time a young boy, who looked familiar, stood in front of him. He wore rather Medieval era clothing and stared at Ludwig with his icy blue eyes. "Why did you forget?" the child said.  
>"Forget? Forget what?" Ludwig asked, confused.<br>"Forget that you promised to find him again." he snapped back.  
>"Promised who? And why do you think you can talk to me like that? Did your Vater not teach you proper manners?" Ludwig said sharply.<br>"Oi, he did teach me. Vater never said I had to be polite to myself though," he smirked. Ludwig was shocked as the flood of memories came back. He remembered finally after many years.


	3. Separated

While Ludwig was unconscious, the jeep stopped at Arthur's camp base and doctors had taken Ludwig to bandage him before being put under guard in a separate tent, chained to the main post of the tent like an animal in a cage.

Feliciano had followed the doctors to the other tent. He knelt down next to Ludwig, hoping for him to wake up.

_I know you're okay, Ludwig... I just know it. I want to see you smile again... and tell me how much you love me..._

Ludwig woke up about an hour after being moved. He slowly sat up and looked around the tent. Once he saw the cuffs on his hands he sighed.

"Yaaaayyyy~! You're awake~!" Feliciano shouted, hugging Ludwig tightly.

"It's too bad you're our prisoner now, because you can't hug me back..." Feliciano told Ludwig.

He smiled. "But you can still kiss me, right~?"

Ludwig winced from the hug and blushed.  
>"Ah.. Well, ja." he was a little flustered from just waking up and still gathering himself. Ludwig blushed and kissed Italy lightly on the cheek.<p>

"Grazie Ludwig~!" Feliciano hugged Ludwig even tighter.

"It's too bad that you're my prisoner now... but I find it kind of ironic~ When we first met, when you found me in the tomato box, I was your prisoner~"

Ludwig winced again when Feliciano hugged tighter. "C-careful, Feliciano. I'm still injured.."

"It is rather ironic, isn't it? But we met before that day.." Ludwig replied.  
>"I remember Austria had you living at his house with Hungary." He blushed a little and chuckled at himself for once thinking Feliciano was a girl.<br>"I had to leave to go fight a battle," his voice was serious again. "You gave me the deck broom you used before I left after begging me not to go..."  
>Ludwig looked Feliciano in the eye. "Is that also why you hate fighting so much?"<p>

"W-wait... y-you're.._.you're Holy Rome?_" Feliciano was surprised.

"H-Holy Rome... you really did come back..."

Feliciano started to cry as he continued to hug Ludwig, but a bit more gently this time.

"War... it tore us apart a long time ago. War made us enemies...  
>B-but... if it weren't for war... I would never have met you again..."<p>

Feliciano laid down in Ludwig's lap.

"I did come back.." Ludwig said softly and petted Feliciano.

"I just want to unlock those cuffs on your arms so you can hold me again... and then we can finally run away together~! Won't that be wonderful~?" Feliciano smiled brightly.

"I don't think we can run away from this one, Feliciano. There is already too much on me, running will just make it worse." Ludwig shook his head in disagreement. "But I do wish these cuffs could be off. They're really tight." He said as he leaned his head against Feliciano's.

"I wish they were off too... but Arthur would get really mad if I took them off... and I also don't know how to take them off." Feliciano admitted.

"You need a key for it," he said as he showed the hole in the handcuffs for it.

"Maybe I'll go ask him! And then you can hold me again~"

Ludwig chuckled, "Nein. Don't try. I know his answer is "No"."

"Veee~ maybe I'll try and find the key myself~" Feliciano suggested. "I bet Arthur hid the key somewhere obvious~ like where he keeps the food~!"

The Italian was determined to set Ludwig free, no matter what it took.

"Feliciano, stop talking nonsense," his voice was stern.  
>He sighed before continuing, "Even if you do find the key and we run away, we will have no where to run to. The Allies have control over you and have captured me. There is nowhere to run."<p>

"How rational, Germany," Arthur was leaning against the doorway of the tent. He then turned his attention to Italy. "I knew that I should have banned you from this tent, Italy. You are obviously letting your emotions take control of your actions. Maybe I should chain you up too."

"Waaaaaahhhh! Please don't hurt me!" Feliciano cried out of instinct, clinging to Ludwig.

Ludwig sat there and blushed slightly, looking away from Arthur.

Feliciano then turned his head to the Englishman.

"Don't take me away! I don't want to be separated again!" Feliciano's words changed to streams of tears.

Arthur sighed and cuffed Feliciano's hands together, attaching his chain to Ludwig's.  
>"I will not take any chances of you two running off and if you are planning on running off on me, I'll guard the key myself," he stated before walking out.<p>

After about five minutes of crying, Feliciano slowly calmed down.

"W-well I guess we're stuck together, right...?"

Feliciano managed a small smile, trying to make some light out of the dismal situation. He leaned over and kissed Ludwig's cheek.

"Ja, I guess we are," Ludwig agreed.

"Now... how are we going to get out of this...?"

Ludwig blushed a little from the kiss.

"We can't really get out of here, at least while I am like this," Ludwig shook his head, blood starting to seep through the bandage wrapped around his side wound.

"Even though we're stuck, I'm stuck with my most favorite person in the whole world~ so it's not as bad~!" Feliciano said, smiling brightly.

He laid down in Ludwig's lap and rubbed his head against his chest.

Ludwig blushed and smiled at the smaller nation.  
>"I will be able to survive anything they do to me as long as you are around, Feliciano."<p>

"Same...~" Feliciano replied.

"But I really wish we weren't chained up like this~ so then I can hug you~! How _are_ we going to get out of this?"

"If you break your thumbs, you can slip your hands out. That's a bit drastic though. I guess we bide our time for now," Ludwig replied.

"Okay then...~ " Feliciano rested his head on Ludwig's shoulder.

"It makes me cry when I see you hurt... why is everyone after you? Why does everyone hate you so much? B-because you're so nice... and..." Feliciano's voice trailed off.

Ludwig's eyes had a saddened look in them. "They want me hurt because of what my boss has done and made me do. He has murdered my own people and has caused me and the other soldiers to attack other nations. France, Poland... They are all hurt because of me..." his voice trailed and he lowered his head.

"L-Ludwig- it's not your fault..." Feliciano attempted to console Ludwig, tears welling in his eyes.

"My boss made me do a lot of bad things too. But I try not to let it bother me~ since I didn't have a choice anyway... we need to stay strong and get through this together!"

"It's my fault that you were dragged into this though.." Ludwig layed his head on Feliciano's shoulder. "You are way too nice to deserve what is coming..."  
>A lone tear fell from the German's eye out of worry.<p>

"I just don't want them to hurt you..." Feliciano told Ludwig. "I wish this would end, so then you can cuddle with me again..."

"I am sure that they will go easier on you since you surrendered. For me though," he paused a minute. "They may imprison me for a bit. They may do the same with Prussia." Ludwig sat up and kissed Feliciano's forehead. "And I have a feeling that your prayers will soon be answered."

Ludwig looked down with a solemn look on his face. "I appreciate your concern, Feliciano. But I have hurt too many people myself to go off easy," Ludwig said softly.

Arthur had been out with his soldiers to catch the remaining German soldiers. When he returned to camp, some cheers were heard throughout the camp.

"Ludwig... is it over now?" Feliciano asked as he rested in Ludwig's lap.

"Ja, it is," he nodded.

"W-we did a lot of bad things, didn't we? I never wanted to hurt anyone, but my boss made me... it seems it was much worse for you, Ludwig. And now we're going to be punished... or maybe killed because of what our bosses made us do. I'm worried about Kiku too..."

"We did.. and I'm sure many people didn't want to be a part of this. All we can do is hope for the best outcome for all of us.. "  
>Just as Ludwig said this, Arthur came through the door<p>

"Alright you two. Time to split you up. Both of you stand," Arthur said sternly. He had two soldiers at his sides, rifles at ready in case of a struggle.

"S-split... up...!" Feliciano began to panic as he burst into tears.

"T-this can't be happening! L-Ludwig- the promise... Arthur... d-don't you understand? W-why... no... anything but that... y-you can't-!" Feliciano was so upset, he had trouble finding the right words.

"Shhh..." Ludwig whispered to try and calm Feliciano down, "Let him explain why he has to split us up first."

"We have to split you up so we can have you both under house arrest in your own houses. We have to make sure that you don't try to plot on running off." Arthur explained. "The more you cooperate, the shorter it will last."

"Y-you mean you're not going to kill us for what our bosses made us do? B-because I was really really scared that you were going to use your big scary guns on me and-" Feliciano rambled on.

"...thank goodness I'm going to be alright! And I'm going to see Ludwig again soon, right?"

"Right, Ludwig~?" Feliciano asked as he leaned in, kissing Ludwig on the lips one last time before they were to be split up.

Ludwig blushed when he was kissed and looked away shyly to hide his blush from Arthur. "Ja.. We might.." he struggled to keep his voice steady.

Arthur rolled his eyes at the two. "Yeah, once everything is in order, we may allow you two to visit other nations again. Now come on. I'm already missing my tea!" he yanked on Feliciano's chain to lead him out, leaving Ludwig with the two guards.

The one guard ordered the other to leave. The one that stayed took off his helmet, revealing a flip in his hair that somehow still managed to spring up as he put his glasses on.  
>"There, now some time to chat," the American accented nation said. "It's a shame, Italy thinks you may be getting off so easily. Because you are obviously not. You and your boss had almost killed a few nations and a whole culture. Some of your generals are being trialled as we speak. But let me cut to the chase, you are not under house arrest. You are to be locked up for an amount of time until we deem you and your people no longer a threat." Alfred grabbed Ludwig's chain, throwing him to the floor before letting him stand to lead him to the cell that would soon become "home".<p> 


	4. Freedom?

Several months later... Feliciano was at home, sitting on his windowsill, gazing outside.

"It's kind of lonely here... but I get really nice letters from Miss Hungary so it's not as bad~! Hmm... I wonder how Ludwig's doing?"

Lovino, Feliciano's brother, was sitting on the couch behind him, with a scowl on his face.

"Dammit Fratello! Can't you just forget about the potato bastard already!" Lovino shouted. "He's probably locked up somewhere. He's not coming back for a while, get that through your head!"

Feliciano nodded hesitantly, knowing it was probably the truth. He slowly walked upstairs to his bedroom with a solemn face. With Lovino's words in his mind, he sat down at his desk, took out a pen and paper, and began to write.

As he wrote, a tiny yellow bird perched on the top of his desk.

_Dear Ludwig,_

_I hope you know that I still love you and that I miss you very much! I miss cuddling with you, singing with you... making you pasta... sleeping in your bed... all of it! It's very lonely at my house with just Fratello but I get nice letters from everyone~! I want to know how you're doing~ You must be very lonely too...~ but maybe I can come visit you~! Because I know you miss me very much too, no matter what Fratello says... I await the day when everything will be right again~ Please reply, I miss you more than words can describe._

_With lots of love,_

_Feliciano Vargas_

Feliciano folded the letter and tucked it inside an envelope. He used a red pen to draw hearts and roses all over it, and write the name that meant so much to him.

_Ludwig Beilschmidt_

The little yellow bird picked up the envelope and delivered it to Ludwig, sliding it through the bars of his cell. With a "Piyopiyo" he flew off into the distance.

Ludwig had been sitting in a dark cell for the past few months. The lack of being able to be outside and proper food had caused his once blond hair to darken a bit and his skin to grow pale. All he could do while in the cell was keep up with what he could of his training to keep his muscles in shape and think back on his memories.

Most times he would end up wondering about Feliciano at some point, wondering if he was okay and possibly miss him. Ludwig missed the Italian's little quirks much more than he initially thought, even his obsession over pasta for practically every meal.

Ludwig had been thinking again when he was interrupted when he heard a little bird chirp, he looked up just as the letter it was carrying floated down from the window. He grabbed the letter and noticed Feliciano's handwriting on the envelope, slightly embarrased by the drawings on the front. As he read, he felt a small pang in his chest from missing Feliciano, but also a feeling of relief knowing that he is okay. He hid the letter under the pillow on his bed and looked around. Francis was his guard tonight and he knew he was going to regret asking but the words slipped out on their own.  
>"Oi, Francis, is it possible to get a notepad and a pen here?" Ludwig asked the Frenchman.<p>

Francis looked at Germany with a slightly puzzled look. Ludwig had never said anything to him during the time that he was locked up and most likely not to Arthur or Alfred.  
>"Uh, sure," he said as he opened a drawer for the desired items and gave them to Ludwig through the cell bars.<br>"May I ask what it's for?"

"A letter that I need delivered when your shift is over, if it's not a problem. It's for Feliciano," he said, Turning away to return to his cot to write the letter.

_Dear Feliciano,_

_I still love you too. I've missed you very much during these months and have thought about you. You are actually the first to write to me that wasn't because I owed money. Maybe you could visit, I'm not sure if they will let you, but you wouldn't believe how happy it would make me..._  
><em>I hope that I can see your smiling face soon.<em>

_Love, _

_Ludwig Beilschmidt_

Ludwig folded the paper and placed it in a makeshift envelope he made from the notepad paper before writing upon the front.

_Feliciano Vargas_

He handed the letter to Francis just before his shift ended and laid down on his cot, hoping the letter would reach it's designation.

Francis was tempted to look at the letter on the way to the Vargas brothers' house, but turned against it.

He walked up to the house and knocked on the door.

"Dammit, who is it now!" Lovino complained as he went to answer the door. "Oh, great, it's the wine bastard. What do you want!" Lovino complained as he saw who was at the door.

Meanwhile, Feliciano was upstairs in his bedroom, sleeping. He could almost feel Ludwig's arms wrapped around his body as he drifted off into dreamland.

"I have been asked to deliver a letter to your brother, is he home right now, mon chere?" Francis asked, holding the letter up as Pierre chirped.

As Ludwig laid on his cot, he overheard Alfred discussing with Arthur on a possible early release from his cell and to return to his home.

Lovino sighed. "Feliciano's upstairs, sleeping. Probably dreaming about the potato bastard, I'm guessing." He turned around with a huff.

"Dammit! Even under house arrest he's still more liked than me!" Lovino grumbled to himself as he walked into the kitchen. "He's already gotten fifteen letters from Hungary and twenty letters from potato bastard's brother! All I get is a long letter from Spain!"

Lovino sat down at the table. He took a tomato out of a bowl and ate it to forget his worries.

One could notice Feliciano's big smile as he slept if they were to walk into his bedroom.

"I can keep you company for a little bit after I give Feliciano his letter~," Francis said before walking upstairs.

Francis knocked on the door before quietly walking in.  
>"Feliciano?" he asked and stepped towards the sleeping Italian.<p>

"Aww, he's asleep," He thought.

"...mmmm...~" Feliciano murmured as he curled up next to a fluffy white pillow. "...Ludwig...~" He mumbled, imagining Ludwig's arms wrapped around him.

"Dammit... why does Feliciano have to be in love with that potato bastard? That's all he ever thinks about nowadays, and I'm getting really sick of it. And he doesn't seem to care about all the crap macho bastardo pulled on us after we joined the Allies. Ugh..." Lovino grumbled as he started to sqeeze his tomato out of anger.

Francis smiled and placed the letter next to Feliciano on the pillow before walking out of the room, closing the door quietly.

As he walked back down the stairs, he heard Lovino grumbling in the kitchen.  
>"Are you sure you are not upset because Antonio has been busy lately from his people's turmoil?" he said, leaning against the doorway. "I think you are running a case of envy, mon chere. All because you now know that Ludwig has been thinking about your brother while having nothing to do as he is locked up and Antonio has yet to try to visit you."<p>

Ludwig meanwhile was waiting for Francis to say he delivered the letter, when he sneezed.  
>He also heard Arthur mumble to himself where the "bloody bastard" went.<p>

Lovino sighed, knowing that was the truth. "J-just leave me alone, dammit!" he shouted, trying to hide his feelings. "Why can't you get back to watching the potato bastard, where you're supposed to be?

Feliciano suddenly woke up from Lovino's shouting. He turned to see a letter right next to him. The Italian smiled as he read the letter and knowing Ludwig was okay.

"Veeee~ I knew Ludwig missed me too~" Feliciano said to himself as he got out of bed and began to write a letter in reply.

_My dearest Ludwig,~_

_I'm so happy you're okay~! I would be crying right now if you weren't... but that doesn't matter now because you're safe~! Writing to you makes me happy~ it's almost like you're right there next to me~! I still wish you could hold me in your arms again~ I dream about you every night but then I miss you even more..._

_If you could have just one wish, what would it be? I'd wish that we could stay together forever, without war or anything to separate us... that would be the best wish ever~!_

_Ti amo molto~!_

_Con amore,_

_Feliciano Vargas_

Feliciano folded the letter and slid it into an envelope, writing Ludwig's name on it, but then he heard some screaming downstairs...

"I do not want Fratello NEAR the potato bastard! And I'm going to make SURE he doesn't write any more letters." Lovino shouted. He then turned to Francis. "And you! Wine bastard! Get the hell out of my house!"

Feliciano ran downstairs to see his brother yelling at Francis. "Waaaahhh! Fratello! Calm down!" He quickly gave the envelope to Francis and then ran into the kitchen to give his brother a hug.

"D-dammit-! Get off of me! Enough with your hug therapy!" Lovino struggled to push Feliciano off of him, but it didn't seem to work.

"Calm down, per favore..." Feliciano asked his brother, petting his back.

Lovino sighed and submitted to Feliciano's "hug therapy".

Francis held the letter and smiled at the two Italians. "You are lucky to have a brother that cares for you, Lovino~," he smiled.  
>He waved to the brothers and walked out to deliver the letter.<p>

Once he got back he got a slap in the face from Arthur for being late. Once Arthur left though, he gave Ludwig the letter and a real envelope to place his next one in.

"Danke, Francis," he nodded a little as he recieved it.  
>Ludwig read the letter carefully and remembered the Italian's warm hugs.<p>

_Dear Feliciano,_

_If I had one wish? Well, right now I would wish that I could be out so I could see your smiling face._  
><em>Hopefully by the time you reply I will be..<em>

_Ich liebe dich..._  
><em>Ludwig Beilschmidt<em>

"Fratello, I'm sick of you always thinking about the damn potato bastard! You can't even stay away from him for a month without talking about how much you miss him. Don't you remember what he did to our citizens! And almost wiping out an entire culture!" Lovino tried to knock some sense into his brother.

"It wasn't his fault, Lovino. His boss made him do these things. It's not his fault his boss was really crazy...!" Feliciano replied.

"Just let it go, and forget about him, dammit!" Lovino yelled before pushing his brother off of him and down to the ground.

"F-fratello..." Feliciano tried to reply, but he couldn't find the right words to say, with tears forming in his eyes.

A few weeks had passed since the last letter was sent.

The Allies had released Ludwig from his cell, but he had a curfew to be at his house by nightfall.  
>Ludwig had decided to make use of his partially returned freedom to try and visit Feliciano personally.<p>

"Stop banging on the door, dammit!" Lovino yelled outside his brother's bedroom.

The current situation at the Vargas home wasn't well at all. Lovino had locked his brother in his bedroom. He took away every photograph of Ludwig that Feliciano owned, everything that reminded his brother of the "potato bastard".

"Why do you have to do this to me, Fratello...? Why can't you let me love Ludwig...?" Feliciano cried, still banging on the door, begging to be let out.

"You may love him, but that doesn't mean he really loves you back. After all, he was our enemy, am I correct?" Lovino reminded his brother with a smirk on his face.

Feliciano knew it was the truth, but he refused to accept it. After all, Ludwig's boss forced him to commit all those horrible war crimes.

"He never meant to do any of it! I know he still loves me!" Feliciano retorted.

"Sure he does. Just go back to bed, dammit!" Lovino shouted before walking back downstairs into the living room and sitting down on the couch. He felt a pang of guilt in his chest as he heard Feliciano's crying from upstairs.

Just then, he heard knocking on the door. "Crap! Not again!" Lovino complained. He hid his head under the pillow to block out the sounds from the door and Feliciano's crying.

Ludwig heard the yelling as he stood outside the door.  
>He hesitated before deciding he should walk away until things calmed down. He tried to pinpoint which window Feliciano's cries were coming from and what they were about. He stood back under a tree, deciding whether or not to knock on the door.<p>

"Waaaahhhhh! Let me out!" Feliciano continued to cry from his bedroom, banging on the door. "He didn't mean it! Please listen to me!"

Lovino couldn't stand it any longer. He walked up to Feliciano's bedroom and unlocked the door. "There! The door's unlocked. Now stop crying, dammit!" He stormed down the stairs.

Looking out the window in the living room, he noticed Ludwig sitting under a tree outside.

"Ugh... it's the potato bastard. What the hell is he doing here! Shouldn't he be locked up or something?"

Ludwig looked up when Lovino saw him.  
><em>He looks a bit more pissed than normal...<em> Ludwig thought to himself. _Maybe I should leave... but I want Italy to know I am out..._

Lovino sighed and turned away from the window.

Feliciano slowly opened the door, and walked downstairs, noticing his brother turned away from the window.

"Potato bastard's outside. I'm guessing he wants to see you," Lovino told his brother.

"Yay~! Ludwig's here~!" Feliciano replied, happily opening the front door and running outside with open arms.

Ludwig was just about to leave when he saw Feliciano run out of his house.  
>"Ah, Feliciano! Is everything okay?"<p>

"Everything's great, now that you're here~! I missed you so much~!"

Feliciano smiled brightly as he hugged Ludwig as tightly as he could.

Ludwig smiled a bit and hugged Feliciano back tightly.  
>"I missed you too, Feliciano. I had to come and tell you that they have partially released me. I am free to be outside during the day, but I am to be home once night falls," he informed Feliciano.<p>

"Oh, okay... I understand~" Feliciano replied.

Feliciano sat down in Ludwig's lap and cuddled up to him, kissing his cheek softly.

Ludwig blushed and kissed the Italians curl.  
>"I'm glad that you are doing okay.."<p>

"ahhh...~ I've wanted to cuddle with you for so long...~" Feliciano told Ludwig affectionately, nuzzling him.

"The allies... are they treating you well? Y-you look a little pale..."

Ludwig smiled and help the Italian close.  
>"I'm fine, I just haven't been outside for awhile," he gave a reassuring smile, hoping the Italian wouldn't notice the bandages underneath his shirt.<p>

"Oh, alright~! I'm so happy you're okay~ it almost seems too good to be true~!" Feliciano laid in his lover's arms. "It's almost like a dream, Ludwig..."

"Dammit... I'm just so sick of seeing those two together. After what the potato bastard did to Feliciano..." Lovino grumbled to himself, watching the two from inside.

Feliciano rested his head on Ludwig's shoulder. "I just wanted to tell you... I never stopped loving you~ even when..."  
>Before Feliciano could finish his sentence, he placed his hands on his chest and began to drift off suddenly...<p> 


	5. Too good to be true

Ludwig watched Feliciano as he thought back, past the disciplines from the end of the war to back on the battlefield.

* * *

><p><em>Cephalonia, 1943<em>

It was one of the worst battles Ludwig remembered. Italy had surrendered to the Allies and was now his enemy. Former allies were pitted against each other and Ludwig found himself hesitant as soon as he came across his enemy.

Curled up in a ball on the beaten path, was an auburn-haired man, clutching a rifle. The blue uniform and brown boots gave off a familiar aura.

"I can't do this... I just can't..." he muttered to himself. His people were being killed by German soldiers, and he was completely helpless.

Ludwig saw the the auburn-haired man and pointed his rifle at him, but for some reason he couldn't pull the trigger. Something in his gut told him no.

"Waaaahhhh! Please don't shoot! Don't shoot! I'm begging you!" the man cried.

He turned around and went down on his knees in front of the German, revealing his face.

Tears welled up in his amber eyes. The familiar curl on the side of his head started to shrivel up.

"Pleasepleaseplease don't hurt me!"

Ludwig lowered his gun a moment when he realized it was Feliciano, but quickly brought it back up when a superior walked up behind him. "What are you doing! Shoot that man and move on. He is no longer our ally!" the superior ordered.

"Waaaahhhh! No! Please don't shoot! I won't hurt you, I promise!" Feliciano cried as he rolled around in the dirt.

"I don't want to die! I don't want to hurt anyone! See, look! I'm unarmed now! I'm weak and helpless, so now you won't shoot me, right? I'll do anything, I promise! I SURRENDER!" he shouted, dropping his rifle and waving a white flag.

Feliciano waved his arms and legs wildly, with tears streaming out of his eyes.

The superior looked down at the Italian with cold, heartless eyes. "Get rid of him, he is no longer trustworthy, let alone useful. That's an order," he waved off, leaving Ludwig with the Italian.

"...I'm sorry, Italy..." he whispered, but it could hardly be heard over the gunfire. He pointed the gun at Feliciano and fired a round into his shoulder and grazed the Italian's side. He wasn't trying to kill him, just to scare him to keep him away. Once the rounds were shot, he walked away, concealing the pain in him under a facade of indefference.

Feliciano cried out in pain as he passed out. He laid there, in the center of the road, blood dripping from his shoulder.

_why... why can't this nightmare just **end?**_

Ludwig marched on, holding back the tears.  
><em>Not here.. I must move on..<em>

_L-Ludwig... I don't understand anything anymore... why... why-_

* * *

><p>"Ludwig...~ are you alright...?" Feliciano asked, kissing his lover's cheek gently.<p>

Ludwig snapped out of his trance when Feliciano kissed him.  
>"A-ah, ja..." he blushed. "Just remembering... Feliciano, why did you forgive me?"<p>

"B-because... I just knew that you still loved me... I needed you more than anything... and I'd rather die then hold a grudge against you, Ludwig..." Feliciano told Ludwig.

"Sometimes I feel like I'm the only one who still trusts you..."  
>A single tear fell from Feliciano's eye as he spoke these words.<p>

Ludwig wiped the tear from Feliciano's face and hugged the smaller nation, still hoping that his bandages are not noticed.  
>"It is possibly true, but I am glad that I have you still," he smiled a little and kissed Feliciano's forehead.<p>

"I wish everyone understood... that you never meant to do any of those terrible things... why... why do you have to be blamed for everything, Ludwig?" the Italian asked.

"Because I was the one who was subjected to that psychotic leader, and I was the one who lost in the end, yet again..." he said rather softly.

"Please remember... you'll always have me..." Feliciano pleaded.

"I'll always love you, no matter what."

Ludwig held the Italian close and closed his eyes. "I am glad that you are here, Italy."

"Veee~ let's make this moment last, Ludwig..." Feliciano said before kissing the German passionately on the lips.

_"Ever since the 900's... I've always loved you..."_

A small breeze brushed Feliciano's bright auburn hair, and sunlight surrounded him and Ludwig as they kissed.

Ludwig blushed, but eased into the kiss. He wrapped his arms around Feliciano and kissed back just as passionately.

The small breeze had managed to blow a few strands of hair into Ludwig's face, but he didn't bother trying to fix it.

Feliciano took in the warm sunlight and closed his eyes, trying to make the kiss last as long as he could. He placed his right hand on Ludwig's cheek and leaned in a bit more.

Lovino stood in front of the windowsill with a blank stare.

"D-dammit...y-you potato bastard... s-stop kissing mi fratello...!"

Ludwig leaned into the Italian's hand as he continued the kiss. His heart beat fast in his chest, faster than any exercise had pushed him.

Feliciano relaxed his muscles and began to fall asleep a bit, his lips still locked with Ludwig's.

Suddenly, the front door slammed open.

"Get away from my fratello, you potato bastard!"

Feliciano collapsed into Ludwig's arms, lying down. "L-Lovino..." he began to cry.

Lovino stormed over to Ludwig and Feliciano.

"Feliciano, come with me! You're done with him."

Ludwig blushed and jumped a little when Lovino slammed the door. "Shh... It's okay.."  
>Ludwig stroked Feliciano's back.<br>"Lovino, you are aware that I have practically no power or ability to influence at all, ja?" he glared at him. This was mostly true since he was now under the control of the Allies.

"Hmph! I don't care, dammit. I'm sure you remember what you did to Feliciano, si?" Lovino asked Ludwig, pulling down Feliciano's shirt slightly to reveal a few small scars on his shoulder.

"F-fratello..." Feliciano cried weakly. Tears built up in his eyes as he looked up at his brother.

"Of _course_ you remember, Feliciano," Lovino said as he smirked at Ludwig.

Ludwig released Feliciano and looked away, trying to hide the pain from his face but his voice gave him away.  
>"I heavily regret what I was forced to do on the battlefield... I never intended to harm your bruder.." A dark, saddened look was in the German's eyes, hidden by the downward turn of his head as his hair fell into his face.<p>

"Sure, sure. Now stay away from my brother and go back to the prison where you belong, dammit!" Lovino shouted, gripping Ludwig's shirt.

"A prison is the only place for a bastard like you, no one likes you, not even Feliciano likes you. He's only lying to you, just to make you feel better after all the crap you pulled. Si, I'm talking about YOU. 'I never meant to do that! I was forced to do it!' It's all bullshit! No one gives a crap about your excuses, dammit! Now get the hell out of here! I don't want to see you ever again, you hear me!" Lovino's face was red with anger. He kicked Ludwig onto the ground and started to drag his brother back into the house.

Feliciano tried to escape his brother's grip. "LUDWIG! Help me!" he cried.

"Oh, shut up about your stupid 'Ludwig'! He's an unforgivable bastard. I'm locking you in your room again, and this time, you're STAYING in there, dammit!" Lovino was dead serious.

Ludwig was shocked by the strong words from Lovino. He watched sadly as Feliciano was dragged into his house by his brother and walked away, knowing he had no right to try and take Feliciano back.

_I'm sorry Feliciano, but I should probably stay away for now..._ he thought as he walked off.

He had to head back to reach his curfew on time anyway. He tucked his hands into his pockets and walked back to his home, thinking of how he could keep in touch with the one person who seemed to be able to forgive...


	6. Can't forget about you

"Ah, you are back? Good." A tall Russian man with snowy white hair, a huge coat, and a long, white, scarf stood in front of him. "You remember me, da? I am Ivan~" he reminded the German.

"I have been told to watch you. So you don't go around hurting people. Luckily, I've gotten no bad reports during your little break, so everything looks good," Ivan remarked.

"But if you try to escape, you will taste my pipe!" Ivan held up his trusty faucet pipe and spun it around in his hands before holding it at his side again. "But maybe I will use it on you anyway, ufufu~ After all, I hate you, da. So does everyone else... _no one_ likes you," Ivan told the German coldly.

"Trust me, Ivan, I have no plans on escaping. For there is nowhere to escape to. If it is as true as you say, why should I try to run is everyone hates me?" he looked the taller nation in the eye, his own showing emptiness.

The walk back left him thinking, second guessing himself and wondering if he should even bother trying to Feliciano again.

_I know Lovino is just trying to protect his brother, but he is right.. I did shoot him.. Even if he does forgive me, it doesn't mean anything. I am obviously a threat to him.._ he thought as he sat on his bed.

"Ufufu... you are thinking about that cute Italian again, da?" the Russian guessed. "I'm sure he doesn't like you either." Ivan giggled. "I have planned for you and your brat Gilbert to be separated."

Ivan delivered a seemingly bright but fake smile to Ludwig.

"We've already separated you from that stupid Italian~ You had your chance to say goodbye~ that's why we let you out today. From the look on your face I can tell the visit did not go so well, da? Ufufu... Italy must really hate you~" Ivan giggled like a child.

Ludwig froze as Ivan seemed to read him like a book. _Have I made myself that vulnerable?_  
>He closed his eyes a moment and sighed. "Is your job to watch me or verbally abuse me while you are here?" he glared at the Russian.<p>

"Ufufu... it is your punishment~ However, I think you deserve a much _harsher_ punishment..." Ivan twirled his pipe.

"I'd love to see the look on that Italian's face once he finds you dead... ufufu~ but unfortunately, I'm not supposed to kill you... but I can severely injure you, da?~" he told Ludwig with an adorable but heartless smile.

"Anything~ anything to make you feel the pain of the millions that you killed~"

Ludwig carefully watched Ivan as he twirled his pipe.  
>"You can do your worst, for if what you say is true the rest of the nations will find you as a hero for once," he had a dark smirk on his face and stood to face the taller and more powerful nation. He may end up as a pulp, but he was going to go down with a fight like he always did.<p>

"Ufufu...~ good thing little Feliciano isn't here to watch you die, da?" Ivan remarked.

"He'll never know..."

* * *

><p>Meanwhile, back at the Vargas brothers' house, Lovino was busy locking his brother in his room once again.<p>

"FRATELLO! Let me out of here!" Feliciano cried.

"You haven't learned your lesson yet, have you? He tried to kill you once, Feliciano. And yet, you still think it's perfectly okay to cuddle with him and kiss him! You're acting like that war never happened, dammit!" Lovino shouted outside Feliciano's room.

"B-but Fratello... I forgave him!" Feliciano told his brother.

"No, Feliciano. Trying to kill you? That's absolutely unforgivable. You can't forgive him for something as horrible as that." Lovino sighed and stood against the closed door.

"F-fine... fratello... I...I won't talk to him anymore..."

"Oh really? You mean it?" Lovino asked, surprised at Feliciano's response.

"Si... I'll never speak to him ever again... you're right, I can't forgive him for what he did."

* * *

><p>Ivan giggled even more as he threw Ludwig against the wall. He swung his pipe and hit Ludwig square in the chest. A small crack could be heard.<p>

"Oh~? Was that a crack I just heard?~ I guess I don't know my own strength~" Ivan laughed.

Ludwig flinched as the breath was knocked out of him from the blow to the chest.  
>"Don't play dumb with me. I know you do know your strength.. " He glared at the taller nation as he held his chest. He grabbed the closest thing near him, an old broom, and swung it at Ivan's head.<p>

Ivan flinched for just a moment but brushed off the shock, giggling. "I suppose that is what you call a "weapon"?" the Russian taunted. "And that cracking sound was pretty. I'd like to hear it again, da~" he said before striking Ludwig's chest a second time.

"Ufufufu~ it is so funny, how you think you can win. You're like a little rat~ And now it is time for me to dispose of you!~"

Ivan then threw Ludwig to the ground and pressed his foot on the German's stomach. He took out a knife from his coat pocket and leaned over, holding the knife up to his throat.

An evil aura surrounded Ivan.

"Your love... was never meant to be~"

The broom had been dropped from his hand. Ludwig stared up at Ivan, his breathing slightly strained from the attacks and the weight of the Russian on his chest.

"Heh, you may be correct..." his eyes were empty of emotion as he grabbed the Russian's arms and pushed him off, taking the knife from Ivan. He may have been weakened from being in the jail a bit, but he kept up with his training. He pinned Ivan on his back, kneeling on one knee on it.  
>"...I'm not surrendering yet. I want to hear the words from him myself," he whispered into Ivan's ear. He threw the knife from his hand and lodged it into the wall before getting up.<p>

* * *

><p>"Feliciano! I'm letting you out! Why aren't you coming out, dammit!" Lovino shouted, outside of Feliciano's room. "I even made pasta!"<p>

"I'm not coming out Fratello... I'm going to stay in here until everything is normal again..." Feliciano replied, laying down on his bed.

"Everything is normal, dammit! Is this about your stupid potato bastard again!"

"..." Feliciano didn't respond. He fell asleep once again, drifting off into dreamland.

_"I'm sorry for everything I did... this is goodbye, so don't worry..." A young blond nation with blond hair and blue eyes stood in front of Feliciano._

_"W-what do you mean?" Feliciano asked, confused. He found himself at the same height as the other nation, wearing a frilly dress and holding a deck brush._

_"I meant what I said... so long, stay well, all right?" The nation began to walk off._

_"Y-you're really going? No..." Feliciano cried._

_"H-Holy Roman Empire! I-I'll give you this-! To remember me!"_

_Feliciano held out his deck brush, giving it to the other nation._

_"T-then I'll also... w-what do your people give to their loved ones?" Holy Rome asked._

_"A kiss, I guess?"_

_Holy Rome looked into Feliciano's eyes._

_"Ever since the 900's... I've always loved you..." he said before leaning in and kissing Feliciano on the lips._

_Bright sunlight surrounded the two, and a slight breeze brushed their faces._

_"R-really?" the young Italy asked._

_"Yeah..." Holy Rome replied. Feliciano smiled brightly, still teary-eyed. "Ve~ I'm so happy~" he told his lover._

_"F-farewell then, Italy! I'll definitely come see you when the fight is over!" Holy Rome promised._

_"Mm~ I'll always wait! I'll make lots and lots of sweets for your return!" Feliciano waved and smiled. "A-and don't get hurt o-or sick, all right?"_

_"We'll see each other again! We will! We really will!" Holy Rome called out._

_"No matter how many hundreds of years go by..." Holy Rome called out for the last time, "...I'll always love you more than anyone in the world!"_

The Italian woke up from his dream.

"I'll... I'll go make some sweets..."

Gilbert had been upstairs in his and Ludwig's house when the fighting began. He walked downstairs just in time to see the knife get lodged in the wall and Ivan laying on the ground.  
>"Oi, West, I know losing to him may have aggravated you; but you know we can't fight them when we are under their control, as unawesome as that is," he said to his younger brother.<p>

"He's the one with the grudge, I'm just trying to keep most of me intact," Ludwig said as he checked himself to see if any ribs were broken.

Ivan got up slowly. "Ufufu... I'm quite impressed with you! I'll spare you~"

The tall nation had an evil smile on his face, as if he was plotting something.

"I have some... _business_ to take care of~"

Ivan whispered into Ludwig's ear. "You'll never hear the words from him..."

He took the knife out of the wall and put it back in his pocket. With his pipe in hand, he walked off.


	7. A fallen nation?

Ludwig ran out after Ivan, but was stopped by Arthur's arrival. He hid in the bushes as Arthur walked into his house. It was past his curfew, but he had to stop Ivan.

If one were to walk into Feliciano's kitchen, you could smell chocolate.

"Fratello, what the hell are you doing! Why are you making... chocolate, dammit?" Lovino shouted as he walked into the kitchen.

"It's for someone very special, Lovino~" Feliciano told his brother.

Suddenly, the front door slammed right open. A tall nation stood in the doorway with an evil aura surrounding him. He walked up to Feliciano, holding his pipe.

"The Allies have asked for me to kill you~"

Feliciano had no chance to run away. The taller nation slammed his pipe into the Italian's chest, knocking him out.

"Ivan! Leave my brother alone, dammit!" Lovino shouted.

Ivan knelt down on top of Feliciano's stomach and took out the knife from his pocket.

"I will, after I kill him." Ivan smirked at Lovino.

Ivan quickly stabbed Feliciano in the throat. Blood splattered on the Russian's coat and Feliciano's uniform.

The Italian laid there in a pool of his own blood.

"You... you killed my brother!"

It took Ludwig a bit longer than anticipated to get to the Vargas's house, the blows to his chest made it a bit hard to breathe and had weakened him a bit. When he arrived he smelled the sweet aroma of chocolate mixed with the metallic scent of blood wafting from the kitchen.

Slightly out of breath, Ludwig stood in the doorway of the kitchen a moment when he saw Feliciano lying in his own blood, with Ivan kneeling over him.  
>He wanted to yell out to the taller nation, but he knew words would have no effect on him. He quickly marched up to Ivan and grabbed him by his scarf, pulling him to his feet. He made a couple quick jabs to the Russian's shoulder and stomach. He then snatched the blade from Ivan, grabbing it by the blade and sliced his hand in the process, and tossed it away from him.<br>His eyes were filled with a firey rage and anger.

Ivan giggled as he spoke. "Ufufu~ I have killed your love, da~? But really~ why would he ever love you? After all, you were the one who shot him...~ and killed his people~"

"Damn potato bastard... go beat the shit out of him, will you!" Lovino shouted.

Ludwig turned to Romano a minute and nodded saying, "I have to repay him somehow."

"I know how it feels.~ To be separated for hundreds of years... only to find that he doesn't love you anymore~" Ivan told Ludwig.

"And the worst part is, you never got to say goodbye..."

Ludwig was furious at Ivan. He kicked Ivan in the gut, pushing him through a back door outside. As he walked out he grabbed Ivan's knife off the floor from where he threw it.

One could hear Ivan's "kolkolkol" from outside.

"Ufufu... you are a tough little one~ But trying to kill me is a waste of time..." Ivan turned to Feliciano. "Your little Italian is still breathing."

Ivan was right. Feliciano's breathing was faint, but it could be heard. He was twitching and whimpering.

Lovino walked over to his brother and knelt down next to him. "F-fratello..."

As much as Ludwig wanted to take care of Feliciano, he knew that Ivan was trying to distract him.  
>"Romano, try to stop his bleeding and call Gilbert. We are going to need help and Arthur should be there with him," he ordered as he glared at Ivan. Ludwig was slightly scared by the Russian's evil chant, but he swallowed his fear ready to protect the Italian brothers from further attack. "It seems you failed to finish what you came here for."<p>

"Ufufufu... you got lucky, da? Very lucky...~" Ivan laughed.

"But that doesn't mean he still forgives you...~ why don't you ask him?~ kolkolkolkol..."

"Right now, I don't care. All that matters is if he survives," he growled as he waited for a possible attack.

"I'm going to let you have your emotional moment~" Ivan told the German, sitting outside on the steps.

Lovino grabbed a bunch of towels and wrapped them around his brother's wounds. He then proceeded to call Gilbert.

"Hey you! Potato bastard! Feliciano's severely wounded! Get over here right now, dammit!" Lovino shouted into the phone before hanging up.

"D-dammit...! Fratello... don't die...!" Lovino sat on the floor next to Feliciano and was trying hard not to cry, but a few tears slipped out.

Arthur had picked up the phone and stared at the phone before hanging it up.  
>"Come on, Gilbert. Seems the Italians need your help," he said before grabbing his coat.<p>

Ludwig watched Ivan a moment before going to Vargas's side. He bent down next to Feliciano and checked the neck wound. He placed a fresh towel over the wound.

Gilbert and Arthur just pulled up with an ambulance tailing them. Gilbert ran in the back door first, the medical crew just now unloading the equipment.  
>Arthur saw Ivan sitting on the step and sighed. "What the bloody hell did you do now?"<p>

"Ufufu~ Ludwig doesn't deserve Feliciano. I only wanted to see that German idiot suffer over the loss of his love~ but it appears I have failed, da?" Ivan replied to Arthur.

"You, get your bloody arse out of here before I call Alfred over here! You're lucky if Feliciano recovers from this!" Arthur said sternly.

Ivan giggled again. "No need to be angry~" he told Arthur, patting his head. "Feliciano will be fine.~ I could have done much worse, you know~ That was nothing compared to what I could have done~" The Russian smirked, holding his pipe threateningly. "Kolkolkolkol..."

Gilbert knelt next to Lovino. "We had an ambulance tail us. They are going to take Feliciano to the hospital." Just as he finished saying this the medic team came in and placed Feliciano on a gurney. A nurse came over to Romano to learn what happened.

Lovino pointed to Ivan sitting outside. "That Russian bastard tried to kill my brother with a faucet pipe and a knife!"

"Spasibo~ I appreciate your compliment.~" Ivan turned to Lovino and smiled evilly, replying to the Italian's insult.

The medics took Feliciano in the ambulance and the nurse that was talking to Lovino had him ride with them.  
>Ludwig watched them and walked out of the house to hear what Arthur had in mind for him for leaving the house after curfew.<p>

Arthur sighed and walked over to Ludwig, shaking his head. "You obviously left for a good reason. I'll let you off this once and let you visit Feliciano. Just clean up the blood before you leave."

Arthur glared at Ivan. "Go home." He walked away to go meet up with the Germans.

Ivan sat on the steps silently, ignoring Arthur's demands.

"Ludwig is devastated, da? I've won." 


	8. I'll always love you

After he arrived at the hospital, Ludwig walked into Feliciano's room once he was allowed to have visitors. He sat in a chair next to his bed and held the Italian's hand lightly.  
>"I'm sorry I wasn't there in time to save you..."<p>

Feliciano's eyes fluttered open.

"It's okay. At least you're here now, right?" He managed a small smile.

"I was going to make you sweets~ like I promised so many years ago..."

Ludwig sighed in relief when Feliciano finally spoke.  
>"I don't deserve any sweets.. It's my fault that you were targeted. Ivan attacked you because of me.."<p>

"Please don't blame yourself, Ludwig..." Feliciano spoke weakly. "None of this was your fault. It's my fault... because I'm so weak..."

"Nein, it is. I should have stopped him before he got to your house," he shook his head.

Gilbert was still in the house cleaning for his brother. "West.. You owe me _big_ for this."

"Hmm... I don't understand... why would he want to kill me anyway~?" Feliciano wondered.  
>"Ivan told me the Allies ordered him to kill me...~"<p>

"I guess to see if I would crack or something... I'm really sorry..." Ludwig replied.

"Ve~ it's okay~! I forgive you~" Feliciano smiled, even though he was in a hospital bed.

"I forgive you for everything, Ludwig~"

Ludwig was a bit surprised by the answer. He stood up and bent over the bed to kiss Feliciano on his forehead. "Danke, Feliciano. Maybe there is hope left in the world for peace."

"Peace...~" Feliciano smiled warmly. "It's what I've always wanted~"

"So the bastard... wasn't lying after all." Lovino said as he stood outside Feliciano's hospital room.

Ludwig smiled and kissed Feliciano lightly.  
>"You should rest now. You need to save your energy."<p>

"But I'm not tired, Ludwig~ I want you to kiss me again~!" Feliciano told the German eagerly.

Ludwig blushed slightly, but couldn't help from smiling a little. He bent down to the Italian again and kissed him again, a bit more passionately this time.

Feliciano slowly sat up, and wrapped his arms around Ludwig's waist, still locked in the kiss. After a couple minutes, he took his lips away.

"Ludwig, you've made me feel better already.~" Feliciano's smile grew bigger. He jumped out of the bed and into Ludwig's arms, latching onto him.

"Hold me, Ludwig~!"

Ludwig held Feliciano close and smiled back. He kissed Feliciano's curl lightly.  
>"I'm glad to hear that."<p>

Feliciano let out a small tear of happiness.

"Words cannot describe how much I love you~ it is as big as the universe." The Italian kissed Ludwig's cheek.

"Now tell me... tell me the words I've been waiting to hear...  
>...tell me that you love me."<p>

Ludwig wiped the tear from Feliciano's face.  
>He blushed as he said, "Ever since the 900s, I've always loved you." He kissed the Italian's curl lightly before continuing.<br>"No matter how many hundreds of years go by, I will always love you more than anyone else in the world."  
>He kissed Feliciano again and smiled.<p>

"Always, Ludwig~?"

"Always, mein liebe," he whispered into Feliciano's ear as he held him close.

Feliciano smiled warmly and gently kissed Ludwig on the lips.

"Me too, Ludwig~ me too...~"

Lovino smiled for the first time in months.

**~END~**


End file.
